Most traditional non-adjustable shock absorbers can be designed to individually deliver progressive, square wave, dashpot, or self-compensating shock force vs. stroke profiles, but force a user to select between individual shock absorber units, each with a single damping profile. These traditional shock absorbers are, therefore, tuned to narrow performance bands within the specific shock force vs. stoke profile selected, and cannot compensate for changes in conditions of operation, including variations in load and impact velocity. Other traditional shock absorbers allow for adjustable damping only in a square wave or dashpot damping profile, which may not be well suited for specific fragile load applications. One such example shock absorber is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,904 and uses a spiral groove to both provide a flow path for oil as well as to cut off or meter fluid flow out of an orifice.